


Never Say Goodbye

by lizzieonawhim



Category: Leverage
Genre: ...lost-ish, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Groundhog Day, M/M, READ THE INSPIRATION FIC FIRST, Time Loop, it's pretty straightforward but you should read Right Round anyway 'cause it's amazing, otherwise you will be lost
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 14:47:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11465805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizzieonawhim/pseuds/lizzieonawhim
Summary: Parker remembers one of the Thursdays.





	Never Say Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Right Round](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6549481) by [letsgostealafandom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/letsgostealafandom/pseuds/letsgostealafandom). 



> If you haven't read Right Round yet, please read that FIRST! This is a sequel fic and will spoil many things. That being said, I don't claim this is "canon" within that universe, nor even my personal headcanon; it's just an idea that struck me of something that *could* happen, and wouldn't let me go until I wrote it down.

Sunlight streamed across the kitchen in rays and beams, highlighting marble countertops and hardwood floors and illuminating the clouds of silver steam rising from the stovetop. The smell of bacon suffused the apartment over the brewpub as Eliot tossed the contents of a frying pan briskly. He hummed a quiet tune as he worked, taking in the peace and calm with the kind of active awareness that came from having known too many mornings that began with blood. It was a brand new day, and that was something he savored, too.

Six months since Eliot's own personal, fucked-up nightmare version of Groundhog's Day, and he was still learning to let Parker and Hardison out of his sight. It was only recently that he'd learned to be okay with going to the store by himself, or having one or both of them go without him. There was a knot of tension in Eliot’s stomach that had him clenching his jaw any time they weren't all in the same building, but at least he didn't pace anymore, or shake, or sweat, or go into full meltdown mode where he kept seeing all the worst Thursdays flashing before his eyes, gunshot wounds and explosions and--

It was getting easier. Some days were better than others. This was one of the better ones.

At least, it was until a slim form careened into Eliot as he was bringing the pancake batter over to the stove, latching onto him and making him drop the bowl. It shattered on the floor, sending batter and shards of glass flying everywhere.

"Shit! Dammit, Parker, what--"

"You died."

The rest of Eliot's complaint died on his lips: Parker was crying, big, shuddering sobs that shook her whole body. Parker never cried. After a moment of frozen shock, Eliot cautiously wrapped his arms around her.

"Shh, hey, shh, it's okay, I'm right here," he soothed. "I ain't dead, I'm right here."

Parker pulled back from him. "You died!" She shoved him angrily. Eliot stumbled back a step.

"Fuck, hey, watch it, Parker, there's broken glass--"

"Why?" she demanded, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes. "Why would you do that? We were safe, you saved us, everything was okay and then you -- you --" she broke off with another sob, her shoulders slumping inwards as she visibly crumpled. Eliot's stomach dropped as he realized what she must mean. Careful of the broken glass, he reached over and turned off the stove, then stepped forward and put his arms around her again. Parker leaned into him, fists clenched desperately in his flannel button-down as she cried.

"All right," said Eliot. "All right. Hey, why don't we move this into the living room? Ain't either one of us got any shoes on. Here." Carefully, he guided Parker out of the kitchen area and over to a couch. She curled up against him, still sobbing furiously into his chest. Across the room, the front door opened.

"Hey, I hope you guys are hungry because I brought -- whoa," said Hardison. Eliot heard a thump as whatever he was carrying ended up on the floor. A moment later, he was next to them on the couch, rubbing Parker's back. "Hey baby, hey, what's goin' on, what's wrong?" Parker didn't answer, just hiccuped and kept crying. Hardison looked at Eliot. "Man, what happened?"

"She remembered one of the Thursdays," said Eliot.

Hardison's face went slack with horror. "Oh, Parker," he breathed.

"How could you?" she whimpered. "How could you do that? How could you j-just -- how could you do that?"

"Do what, baby?" Hardison coaxed gently. Parker shook her head and kept crying.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry," Eliot murmured. "I never meant to hurt you."

"Well, you did. We were okay, we were all okay, and then you just -- y-you--"

"Take your time, baby, take your time," said Hardison.

Parker swallowed and continued, "He -- it was over, everybody after us was d-dead, and you and me, Hardison, w-we went into another room, but then we heard a gunshot and when we went back, Eliot was -- he--"

Hardison's eyes widened in horrified comprehension. "No," he breathed. Eliot looked away.

"You left us," Parker said. "How could you leave us, Eliot? You said you'd never leave us, you -- you said--"

"Until my dyin' day," Eliot said. "Yeah, I remember."

"Eliot," said Hardison. Eliot didn't look up. "Eliot that's -- that's not what that means, man." Eliot just shook his head, not sure if he was agreeing or not.

"I keep seeing it in my head," Parker whispered. Eliot swallowed; he knew what that was like.

"I know, darlin'. I'm sorry."

"Then why'd you do it?" Hardison asked quietly. Eliot shook his head again. "Man, c'mon, don't do that. Don't be like that. This is serious. Why would you do that?"

"I--" Eliot's throat closed up; he took a deep breath and tried again: "I thought it would stop."

Silence.

"Eliot," Hardison started, but Eliot cut him off.

"Not -- it wasn't -- I figured, I was the only one who remembered, y'know? So maybe I was the one doin' it. Maybe... maybe if I wasn't around, it would stop, and then… then it’d be Friday." He smiled humorlessly. "Didn't work."

A stunned silence followed, broken only by Parker's sniffling. Eliot stared determinedly at the floor, not wanting to see the look on Hardison's face.

"Eliot," the hacker said at last. Eliot looked up on reflex. Hardison was shaking his head, eyes full of something like grief. "Eliot, man, you... you gotta promise not to do that again."

"You know I can't do that."

"Well, why the hell not?" Hardison demanded.

"Because it's my job, man!" Eliot glared at him. "I'm the hitter. Somebody comes along, wants to get at the two of you, it's my job to get in the way. That's it."

"This is different and you know it," Hardison retorted, pointing at him accusingly.

"How is it different? I didn't know what the hell was goin' on. All I knew was that the two of you kept dyin', over and over again, and I was the only one who knew it was happening."

"So you, what, just assumed it was your fault? Based on no evidence?"

"Dammit Hardison, what else was I supposed to think? I was the only one who had any idea this was even happening. It's not that much of a goddamn stretch to think it might have something to do with me!" Eliot took a deep breath. "I told you, I'd do anything to keep you two safe. Anything."

Another silence fell. This time, Parker broke it.

“But we weren’t safe,” she said, and sniffed. “Not without you.”

“You could find another hitter,” Eliot said.

Parker shook her head. “Not like you.”

“She’s right, man,” said Hardison. “You’re the best in the world at what you do. We ain’t ever gonna be safer with anybody than we are with you.”

“So you can’t ever leave us again, okay?” Parker looked up at him. “We need you.” Eliot felt his heart break a little: she didn’t just mean as their hitter. There was only one thing he could say to that.

“Okay,” Eliot agreed helplessly. “I won’t. I won’t leave you.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” He prayed he’d be able to keep this one.

“Okay,” said Hardison, “now that that’s settled, I think we could use a day off. I’m just gonna text and let the folks at the Brewpub know you’re not coming down, Eliot, and then we’re gonna sit here and watch movies all day, okay?”

“Okay,” said Parker, smiling over her shoulder at him. “Thanks, Hardison.”

“Hey, it’s no problem, baby girl,” Hardison said, smiling fondly back at her. Eliot felt warmth bloom in his chest, watching them. “Now who wants some donuts?”

“I was gonna make breakfast,” Eliot grumbled, thinking of the abandoned bacon on the stove. Hardison grinned at him.

“Gotta be quicker than that,” he said as he went to retrieve a Krispy Kreme box from where it had fallen when he came in. It had been a clean drop; none of the donuts had come out of the box.

“All right, darlin’, what movie do you want to watch first?” Eliot reached for the remote on the coffee table.

Parker sniffed. “Can we watch the one with all the dinosaurs?”

“Jurassic Park?” Parker nodded. “Yeah, sure, we can watch that. Hey Hardison, we got Jurassic Park?” Hardison gave him an offended look as he set the donuts down and reclaimed his spot on the couch.

“Just who the hell do you think you’re dealing with, here? ‘Do we have Jurassic Park,’ of course we have Jurassic Park, how could you think we wouldn’t have--”

“Just put it on,” Eliot growled.

“I will, just as soon as you stop insultin’ me. I can get a facial recognition scan off half a guy’s face on a blurry CCTV frame and you think I can’t get us Jurassic Park? What do you take me for, man?” As he spoke, Hardison took the remote, pressed a few buttons, and got the movie playing. “I tell you what, not only have I got Jurassic Park, I got it in 2D, I got it in 3D, I got the Director’s Cut, I got--”

“Shh, stop flirting, the movie’s starting,” Parker scolded them, but they both saw the slight smile on her face as she watched the screen. Hardison and Eliot exchanged a congratulatory glance over her head and did as they were told.


End file.
